Tips and tricks

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I think solo playtesting is perhaps more useful than you suggest in evaluating the fun aspect of the game. Sometimes an idea sounds great on paper but is boring as bat guano to play and this is usually obvious even in solo play.

Solo playtesting certainly has its value, but it is my experience that some games are not fun to play "against yourself". For example, if a game has a mechanic that uses blind bidding, much of the fun value will come from the psychological outguessing element. This you will miss when you are playing for all the players.

Another example would be a multiplayer abstract thinking game. It is really hard to play for all the players and keep track of their plans and strategies. "Now what was player C trying to do again?".

I only soloplay games to work out any rules-problems and I